ARFID Elevates Risk for ADHD, Autism in Youth: New Study

March 20, 2025Children and adolescents with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) are more likely to have comorbid neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders like autism, ADHD, and anxiety, according to a new study1 published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Among the 30,795 children included in the large-scale study, those with ARFID (n=616) were 14 times more likely to have autism and nine times more likely to have ADHD than were children without ARFID.

They also demonstrated an increased risk for OCD, separation anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), depression, learning disorders, conduct disorder, and more.These results stand out amid the relatively scarce research data on ARFID, an eating disorder added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-5) in 2013.“This study is one of the few large-scale epidemiological investigations of ARFID comorbidities in a general population sample,” the researchers wrote. “The findings emphasize the importance of incorporating routine screening for neurodevelopmental disorders, anxiety, and depression into ARFID assessments.”Individuals with ARFID avoid foods based on sensory characteristics, a lack of interest in eating, and/or fear-related concerns over adverse eating experiences — not due to the body image concerns that compel other eating disorders like anorexia nervosa.

ARFID is characterized by a “failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs.”Despite affecting 1-2% of children and adolescents2, ARFID is often excluded from eating disorder discourse and clinical examinations.